Mail-bag catcher.



' W. WEVBR. MAIL BAG GATOHER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 30, 1909.

940,102. r Patented Nov. 16,1909.

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WALTER WEVER, OF SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MAIL-BAG CATCI-IER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

Application filed January 30, 1909. Serial No. 475,103.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VALTER WVEVER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of South Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable and effective mail-bag catcher, its particular object being to provide means in connection with the throatportion of a mail-catcher bar, whereby the said portion is automatically closed, by a latch member, upon the entrance of a mail bag, thus insuring a positive locking of the bag, whereby loss of the latter is prevented.

The invention therefore consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing and subsequently claimed.

The drawing illustrates a plan View of a portion of a mail-catcher embodying the features of my invention, with parts in section to more clearly show the invention.

Referring by characters to the drawing, A indicates the usual supporting-bar for a head B, into which head is secured the shank of an obliquely disposed mail catch rod D. The rod D is bent to form a U- shaped throat E in connection with its shank, and a handle F extends from the head 13, all of which mechanism constitute parts of mail-catchers now in common use and form no part of my invention.

Pivoted to the head is a latch member, which member consists of an arm 2 and tail-piece 3 that extend from a hub 1 at an angle to each other. The tail-piece of the latch-member is arranged to normally extend across the mouth of the throat E of the mail catcher rod, while the arm 2 therein lies back of the supporting-bar A in such guarded position as to be clear of a mailbag as the same is delivered to the throat E, said arm 2 being held in this position by means of a delicate coil-spring 4 in opposition to a pin 5 carried by the mail catcher head. The arm 2 terminates with a barbed spear-head 6, which is adapted to engage a locking-mechanism carried by the oblique mail catcher rod D. Thislocking mechanism comprises a flat housing 7 that is secured to the rod and is provided with an aperture 8, through which aperture the barbed spear-head 6 enters, its barb being engaged by the head of a spring-controlled dog 9. The dog 9 is suitably fulcrumed within this housing and is held in position to receive the head of the latch-member by a trigger 10, the trigger being also fulcrumed within the housing and is normally set so as to lie across the path of travel of the latchhead, in which position it engages the head of said dog and holds the same clear of said latch-head 6 in opposition to the springcontrol of the latter.

For the purpose of manually setting the dog and trigger, each is provided with thumb-pieces 11 and 12 respectively, which thumb-pieces project outward through slots in the housing for the convenience of the operator, and owing to the angle of the engaging faces of said dog and trigger, will not free itself from such engagement except under abnormal pressure sufficient to overcome the spring-pressure in connection with the aforesaid dog.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen, should the parts be in the position, as shown in full lines in the drawing, a mail-bag entering the catcher would strike the tail-piece of the arm with great force, due either to the speed of travel of the mail-catcher or bag. The impact of the bag and tail-piece, the latter being above the plane of the locking mechanism, causes arm 2 of the latch member to swing to the position shown in dotted lines of the drawing, in which position said latch is locked, having tripped the dog by its head 6 coming into contact with the trigger. Thus said arm closes the mouth of the throat E and the bag is confined therein, the tail-piece being swung back of the shank of the mail-catcher rod. Further moving of the latclrmember is checked by means of a shoulder 13 thereof coming in contact with the housing.

It is obvious that the bag can readily be disengaged from the throat of the mailcatcher by manipulating the locking mechanism, which mechanism is thereafter set as shown.

I claim: I

In a mail-catcher, comprising an oblique rod having a U-shaped throat at its shankend and a latch-member in pivotal connec tion therewith, the latch-member comprising an arm having a spear-head and a tail-piece is engaged to effect release of said lookingto normally extend across the mouth of the dog. U-shaped throat of the mail-catcher rod; in In testimony that I claim the foregoing I combination With a housing secured to' said have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in

5 mail-catcher ro'd, a spring-controlled lockthe county of Milwaukee and State of VVising-dog mounted in the housing for engage I cousin in the presence of two Witnesses.

ment with the spear-head of the latch-men] WALTER WEVER. her arm, and a set-trigger for the dog ar- -Witnesses: ranged to lie across the path of the travel of. G120. W. YOUNG,

10 the head of said latch-member, by which it GEORGE G. F ELBER. 

